Bridger Bowl videos hint at the strength of authentic content.
Gregg Blanchard /
There’s a potential paradox at the heart of some of our industry’s best content.
On the one hand, these beautiful visuals can be captivating to watch. Resorts have teams of athletes who are incredibly talented, are recorded by other talented teams using high end video tech, and are usually sporting the latest clothing and gear. They always look great, seem to have fresh snow, untouched corduroy, and pristine parks.
On the other hand, that polish can sometimes feel a bit disconnected from the actual experience. Most skiers aren’t semi-pro. Most skiers are on gear they bought 3-4 years ago (if not more). Most skiers are happy chasing leftovers from the last storm in flat light. Most skiers find joy is simpler versions of the skiing experience.
Because the polished version is the standard, we rarely get glimpses of alternatives. But the other day I saw a video from Bridger Bowl that felt…I dunno…different.
And that difference, I quickly realized, was one that made me feeling something that was surprisingly close to what I actually feel on the mountain.
It felt more…real.
Here’s another example from a few days ago of what I mean. Doing your best with flat light, watching from the chair as normal people get stoked from a straight air, a few skiers that can lay down a nice carve, checking out the day’s events as I ski by. That is so much closer to what I love about skiing than the pros in the park spinning double corks and every person on camera somehow being a former GS racer.
I didn’t aspire to go big or chase storms or get on a plane, but I was really surprised by how much these videos bubbled up that desire to spend a perfectly normal day on the mountain.
How many people feel the way I do? Does this convince more people to come to the mountain? Am I crazy? I honestly have no idea, but I love how content like this is both aspirational and attainable. It’s aspirational in the sense that it’s an activity I aspire to doing instead of sitting at my desk tomorrow, not something I aspire to in terms of life goals as a skier or snowboarder. It gives me something aspire to now, not someday.
I think both types of aspiration have their place, but this simple, real, pure view of the mountain?
And the feeling I fet watching it?
I gotta say…there’s something about it that speaks to me in ways the perfectly lit / framed / captured content doesn’t. Nice work, Bridger Bowl.